The effect of shift working system on the biological rhythms and sexual life quality of female nurses

It is known that the shift work system affects the physiological and psychological health status of individuals, family and social relations. In addition, although it is seen to be effective on marriage and sexual life, studies on these issues are limited. In this context, it was aimed to determine the effect of the shift work system on the biological rhythms and sexual life quality of female nurses. The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 193 married female nurses working in a university hospital in Trabzon city center between January-March 2022. The data were obtained by using the "Sociodemographic Information Form", "Biological Rhythm Assessment Interview Scale (BRAI-S)" and "Sexual Quality of Life Scale-Female (SQLS-F)". One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis and parametric tests were used in the statistical analysis of the data. The findings were evaluated at p<0.05 significance level. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the shift type and the BRAI-S total score (p=0.001). It was determined that nurses working in alternating shifts experienced more biological rhythm irregularities than nurses working constantly during the day. There was no significant difference between the type of shift and the total score of SQLS-F (p=0.730). The total mean score of SQLS-F is 61.87∓14.57. It was determined that the quality of sexual life of the nurses participating in the study was good. It was determined that there was a significant, moderate and negative correlation between the total score of SQLS-F and the total score of BRAI-S (r=-0.400, p=0.001). It was concluded that the biological rhythms of the shift workers, especially those who alternate between day and night, are adversely affected and the quality of sexual life is not affected.